Printable facial mask and printable facial mask system with enhanced peripheral visibility

ABSTRACT

A facial mask and related methods of manufacture wherein the facial mask include an image printed on a flexible substrate. A plurality of individual void spaces are defined within a perimeter of the image. These void spaces can be defined by the intentional absence of ink left during the printing process or by individual perforations through the flexible substrate that allow a wearer of the facial mask to see through the printed image without obscuring the user&#39;s field of view including peripheral vision. The plurality of void spaces are generally sized and spaced so as to minimize their effect on the aesthetic appearance of the image to observers while providing a user with the maximum possible visibility. The disclosed methods of manufacture can be used with conventional masks or accessories so as to reduce the visual impact of eye and mouth openings that detract from their overall appearance.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.Nos. 61/407,096, filed Oct. 27, 2010 and entitled “TRICKSTICKMAXMASK,”and 61/483,793, filed May 9, 2011 and entitled “PRINTABLE FACIAL MASKAND PRINTABLE FACIAL MASK SYSTEM WITH ENHANCED PERIPHERAL VISIBILITY”,by the present inventor and both of which are hereby incorporated byreference herein. In addition, this application is related to U.S.Utility application Ser. No. 13/282,168, entitled “PRINTABLE FACIAL MASKAND PRINTABLE FACIAL MASK SYSTEM WITH ENHANCED PERIPHERAL VISIBILITY”,by the present inventor and filed concurrently with the presentapplication and is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates to a facial mask and related methods ofmanufacturing. More specifically, the present invention is directed to afacial mask providing enhanced visibility to a wearer whilesimultaneously displaying a high quality image to observers.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Facial masks are popular amusement devices used for a variety of events,holidays and celebrations. Although facial masks can be used to depict avariety of real or imaginary characters or images, the majority offacial masks generally comprise a mask portion covering at least of theportion of wearer's face including the eyes. Typically, these facialmasts include eye holes cut from the mask portion to allow the wearer tosee. While eye holes are necessary for both convenience and safety, theappearance of eye holes often detract from the overall aestheticappearance of the mask and may result in observers being unable torecognize an otherwise well known character or person. As a result, eyeholes are often cut as small as possible to minimize their overallimpact upon the aesthetic appearance of the mask. Unfortunately,decreasing the size of the eye holes has the added drawback of limitingthe field of vision of the wearer by essentially creating a tunnelvision effect. In particular, the wearer's peripheral vision is oftensacrificed creating a safety risk and general discomfort for the wearer.

One approach that has been utilized in an attempt to overcome the visionissues has been to utilize woven and knit materials when constructingmasks. Woven and other knit masks, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.3,717,882 to Schuessler, can comprise at least one stretchable openingthrough the mask positioned proximate to the wearer's eyes and contouredto the wearer's face in an attempt to improve visibility for the wearer.One drawback to this approach is that the stretchable openings requiresthat the entire mask to be constructed of a flexible and stretchablematerial that can make printing of the desired face or image on the maskdifficult. Similarly, as the flexible and stretchable material contoursto the wearer's face, the printed face or image can become deformed ordistorted when contoured over different wearers' faces.

In another approach, masks such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.5,035,004 to Koester can comprise woven or knit covers for the eyes oreven the entire mask. The woven or knit cover is loosely woven to createa plurality of perforations in the cover allowing wearers to peerthrough the perforations in the cover without requiring eye holes to becut into the cover. Similarly, rigid masks can be perforated proximateto the wearer's eyes to allow the wearer to peer through theperforations or woven material as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,427to Shields. While these approaches eliminate the need to cut eyeholesinto a mask, these approaches again suffer from the potential of thewoven or knit material distorting on a user's face making themunrecognizable.

Unfortunately, current mask designs face a tradeoff between imagequality from the point of observers and vision quality from theperspective of wearer's of these masks. What is needed is a mask designthat provides a high image quality to observers while enhancingvisibility of a mask wearer to increase the wearer's safety whilewearing the mask.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A facial mask according to the present invention generally comprises afacial mask printed on a transparent substrate such that the imagecomprises a patterned plurality of transparent spots or orificesallowing the user to see through the printed image. The pattern oftransparent spots or orifices can be sized and spaced to minimize theeffect on the aesthetic appearance of the image while providing a userwith the maximum visibility. For example, a plurality of relativelysmall transparent spots or orifices can be arranged in a relativelydense pattern. The high density of spots allows the wearer to easily seethrough the mask while the small size of the spots prevents distortionof the image from the perspective of an observer when viewed at adistance. Furthermore, the pattern allows a detailed predetermined imageto be applied to the facial mask with minimal distortion by eye holes orlarge perforations.

In one aspect of the present invention, a facial mask can include animage printed on a flexible sheet. The facial mask can include aplurality of individual void spaces that can be evenly spaced and smallin overall size. Generally, the size and number of individual voidspaces should be selected such that a wearer has an unobstructed fieldof view through the facial mask including peripheral vision whileobservers are generally unable to identify individual void spaces andinstead, see a generally unobstructed and easily recognizable view ofthe image when the wearer's face is obscured. In some embodiments, voidspaces can include individual perforations within the flexible sheetwhile in other embodiments, the void spaces can be defined by theabsence of ink applied during printing of the image on a transparent,flexible sheet. The facial mask can include a mounting means such as arubber band, string or stick allowing for a wearer to position thefacial mask in front of a wearer's face. In certain embodiments, theimage can comprise a high resolution image such as, for example, a highresolution digital image. In certain embodiments, the image can comprisean image instantly recognizable to observers including, for example,celebrities, politicians, athletes, fictional characters, trademarks,logos or similar graphical designs that are capable of being printed.Generally, the flexible sheet is flexible enough such that the facialmask can be otherwise wrapped about a wearer's face but otherwise doesnot distort through stretching either vertically or horizontally. Insome embodiments, the facial mask can include elements of conventionalmasks such as, for example, hair. In some embodiments, the facial maskcan comprise one or more score lines allowing for wrapping of specificportions of the mask, such as, for example, ears or hair about thewearer's head.

In other aspects of the present disclosure, a variety of methods can beutilized in producing a facial mask of the present invention. Generally,representative methods can comprise a step of selecting an image to beprinted on a flexible sheet. In some embodiments, this image cancomprise a digital image. Said images can comprise pictures ofcelebrities, politicians, athletes, animals, fictional characters andany other suitable image. The method can further comprise the step ofprinting the image on the flexible sheet utilizing suitable printingprocess. Representative printing process can include, for example, FourColor Process or CMYK (Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black), RGB Process(Red/Green/Blue) and other existing technologies including, but notlimited to, silk screen, gavure, offset, digital printing, andflexography. In some embodiments, the image selected can commemorate apersonal event such as a birthday or anniversary and a digital pictureof a family member or other individual can be utilized with anappropriate printing process to create a lower volume of custom facialmasks. The method can further comprise the step of removing the printedimage from the flexible sheet utilizing a suitable cutting instrumentsuch as, for example, a scissors. The method can further comprise thestep of attaching a mounting means.

In other aspects of the disclosure, a variety of methods can be utilizedin providing for a plurality of void spaces within a facial mask. Incertain embodiments, a flexible sheet can be selected that includes thedesired density and size of perforations. In alternative embodiments, aflexible sheet can be perforated either prior to or following theprinting of an image on the flexible sheet. In yet other alternativeembodiments, a flexible sheet can be transparent and the plurality ofvoid spaces can be defined by an absence of ink applied during theprinting process so as to define areas of transparency.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, various disclosed methodsof forming a facial mask can be utilized in forming portions of aconventional facial mask or facial accessory. For instance, aconventional facial mask can include one or more eye portions, whereinsaid eye portions are formed with the disclosed methods of the presentinvention such that the eye portions include a printed image and aplurality of void spaces so as to provide visibility to a wearer whileimproving the overall appearance of the facial mask to an observer byremoving the traditional eye openings of a conventional mask.Alternatively, a facial accessory such as, for example, glasses caninclude a lens portion formed with the disclosed methods of the presentinvention having a printed image with a plurality of void spaces toprovide visibility to the wearer while depicting a desired printed imageto observers.

The above summary of the various representative embodiments of theinvention are not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment orevery implementation of the invention. Rather, the embodiments arechosen and described so that others skilled in the art can appreciateand understand the principles and practices of the invention. For thepurposes of defining individual elements and interpretation of theclaims, the definitions and disclosure of the present application arecontrolling to the extent of any inconsistencies between any relatedapplications having their disclosures incorporated by reference. Thefigures in the detailed description that follow more particularlyexemplify these embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various embodiments of the inventionin combination with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a facial mask according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective, front view of the facial mask of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a detailed partial view of an embodiment of a flexible sheetused to create a facial mask according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a flexible sheet used to create a facial maskaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a section view of a perforated polyester sheet used to createa facial mask according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow schematic illustrating a method of forming a facialmask according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a image used to create a facial mast of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded section view of a single ply plastic sheet used tocreate a facial mask according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a flow schematic illustrating a method of forming a facialmask according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flow schematic illustrating a method of forming a facialmask according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an exploded section view of a single ply plastic sheet usedto create a facial mask according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a flow schematic illustrating a method of forming a facialmask according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flow schematic illustrating a method of forming a facialmask according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a section view of a two ply plastic sheet including a linerand a protective substrate used to create a facial mask according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a section view of a two ply plastic sheet including a printedliner and clear substrate used to create a facial mask according to anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a front view of a facial mask according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 17 is a front view of a facial mask according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 18 is a front view of a facial accessory according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a front view of the facial accessory of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a front view of a facial mask according to an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 21 is a front view of the facial mask of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a front, perspective view of a facial mask lackingdistinctive features according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 23 is a front, perspective view of the facial mask of FIG. 22.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling withinthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a representative facial mask 100 of thepresent invention can comprise a printed image 102 that is directlyprinted onto a flexible sheet 104. Flexible sheet 104 can comprise aperimeter 106 that substantially matches and defines the exteriorboundaries of the printed image 102. As best seen in FIG. 3, facial mask100 generally includes a plurality of void spaces 108 that are typicallyevenly spaced and small in overall size. In one representativeembodiment, void spaces 108 can occupy from about 30% to about 50% ofthe area of flexible sheet 104. Individual void spaces 108 are generallysized so at to be indistinguishable from the perspectives of both awearer and an observer without close, focused observation. Generally,each individual void space can have a size of between about 1 mm toabout 2 mm. In one representative embodiment, each void space 108 has adiameter of 1.5 mm. Void spaces 108 can comprise physical perforationswithin the flexible sheet 104. Physical perforations can be advantageousin that they allow facial mask 100 to be both breathable and to allowsound from the wearer to pass through the flexible sheet 104 withreduced distortion. Alternatively, void space 108 can comprise portionsof the printed image 102 that are intentionally left devoid of any inkduring the printing process. Generally, void spaces 108 are small enoughso as to be almost undetectable by observers who are not performing aclose visual inspection of the facial mask 100. At the same time, theplurality of void spaces 108 provide almost an uninterrupted view to awearer of the facial mask 100 including the peripheral vision of thewearer when the flexible sheet 104 is bent as seen in FIG. 2 forplacement over a wearer's face. Facial mask 100 can further include amounting means 110 such as, for example, a rubber band or string forhands free use as shown in FIG. 2 or alternatively, a stick or similarhandheld implement that allows a wearer to hold the facial mask 100directly in front of their face as desired.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, printed image 102 can comprise an imagethat is instantly and easily recognizable by an observer. The varietyand type of images available for printed image 102 are limited only bythe capability of the selected printing processes as will be furtherdescribed. In some instances, printed image 102 can comprise well knowncharacters or personalities wherein in other alternative embodiments,printed image 102 can comprise digital photographs or images that aregenerated for making custom versions of the facial mask 100. In someembodiments, the image selected can commemorate a personal event such asa birthday or anniversary and a digital picture of a family member orother individual can be utilized with an appropriate printing process tocreate a lower volume of custom facial masks. In some embodiments, theimage 102 can constitute a high definition image, such as, for example,a digital photograph that brings enhanced detail and clarity to thefacial mask 100. In some embodiments, image 102 can comprise a singlecolor or be lacking in distinct facial features such that the image 102assists facial mask 100 in looking to be part of an overall costume bodyor to give a wearer 103 a ghostly appearance 105 as shown in FIGS. 22and 23.

Flexible sheet 104 generally comprises a polymeric sheet that isflexible enough to wrap about a wearer's head but otherwise does notstretch in either the vertical or horizontal dimensions. With such aflexible sheet 104, facial mask 100 can be retained closely to awearer's face such that the wearer can easily see through the voidspaces 108 while at the same time, flexible sheet 104 substantiallycovers the wearer's face such that the printed image 102 is clearlydisplayed to observers. Flexible sheet 104 can comprise a variety ofsuitable polymeric materials including, but not limited to, windowperforated vinyl, perforated polyester and simple transparent plasticsheets. Flexible sheet 104 is available from a wide variety of vendorsincluding, for example, 3M Company of Maplewood, Minn. and Clear Focusof Santa Rosa, Calif. Depending upon the printing process, flexiblesheet 104 can comprise one or more substrates upon which printed image102 can be printed. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, flexible sheet 104 allowsfor the printing of various facial features 112 including eyes, nose,ears, eyebrows, hair, wrinkles, mouth, lips, teeth and similaridentifying features. As the facial features 112 are printed directlyfrom the image, the color and overall appearance of the facial features112 are incredibly lifelike and make the facial mask 100 instantlyrecognizable to observers. In some embodiments, the facial features 112are even further enhanced through the use of a digital or digital, highdefinition image. As flexible sheet 104 does not stretch, facialfeatures 112 remain lifelike when facial mask 100 is placed over awearer's face and there is no distortion as found with stretchablematerials.

In one representative embodiment of facial mask 100, flexible sheet 104can comprise a perforated single ply polymeric sheet such as, forexample, perforated polyester sheet 120 as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.With perforated polyester sheet 120, void spaces 108 are defined byindividual perforations through the perforated polyester sheet 120. Inone representative embodiment, perforated polyester sheet 120 cancomprise panoRama film 1530 as manufactured by Continental Grafix Ltd.of Baar Switzerland. Generally, perforated polyester sheet 120 issupplied with a black rear surface 122 and a white front surface 124.White front surface 124 accepts inks from suitable printing methods andblack reverse surface 122 provides maximum contrast for optimum displayof the printed image 102.

Referring to FIG. 6, a method of fabricating facial mask 100 withperforated polyester sheet 120 can comprise a first step 126 ofselecting an image 127 to be printed. In certain embodiments, image 127can comprise a digital image formatted in a variety of formats includingfor example, .jpg, .bmp, .pdf, .gif and the like. In some instances,image 127 can comprise a well known or instantly recognizable imagewhile in other instances, the image 127 can be created or captured witha digital camera. In some embodiments, image 127 can be a highresolution digital image that can be cropped or otherwise manipulated soas to possess appropriate aspects of height and width. In a second step128, the image 127 is printed directly onto the white front surface 124utilizing a suitable printer, such as, for example, a digital printer.In a third step 129, the printed image 102 is removed from theperforated polyester sheet 120 by cutting along the perimeter 106.Cutting along the perimeter 106 can be performed by plotters built intothe printing equipment, by die-cut, by hand cutting or using othercommonly known cutting devices. In a fourth step 130, the mounting means110 can be attached to the printed image 102 so as to complete thefacial mask 100. Advantages associated with the fabrication of facialmask 100 using perforated polyester sheet 120 as described is thatfacial mask 100 is totally breathable for the wearer and that soundscommunicated by the wearer pass through the perforated polyester sheet120 and are more easily understood by observers.

In another representative embodiment of facial mask 100, flexible sheet104 can comprise a single ply plastic sheet 140 that is not perforatedas illustrated in FIG. 8. With single ply plastic sheet 140, void spaces108 are defined by the printing process by specifically avoiding theapplication of ink to areas on the single ply plastic sheet 140.Generally, single ply plastic sheet 140 is supplied with a transparentrear surface 142 and a transparent front surface 144.

A method of fabricating facial mask 100 with single ply plastic sheet140 is illustrated generally in FIG. 9 and can comprise a first step 146of selecting the image 127 to be printed. As described with the priormethod, the image 127 can be formatted in a variety of formats, caninclude a wide variety of images and can comprise a high resolutiondigital image. In a second step 147, the image 127 is printed such thatprinted image 102 is formed directly on the transparent rear surface 142utilizing a suitable printer, such as, for example, a digital printer.In a third step 148, a white layer 150 is printed directly on top of theprinted image 102 utilizing the printer. In a fourth step 152, a blacklayer 154 is printed directly on top of the white layer 150. In a fifthstep 156, printed image 102 is removed from the single ply plastic sheet140 by cutting along the perimeter 106. In a sixth step 158, themounting means 110 can be attached to the printed image 102 so as tocomplete the facial mask 100.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, another alternative method of fabricatingfacial mask 100 with single ply plastic sheet 140 can comprise a firststep 160 of selecting a image 127 to be printed. Image 127 can includethe various attributes as previously described with reference to thealternative embodiments. In a second step 162, a white ink layer 164 canbe printed on the transparent front surface 144. White ink layer 164 isprinted so as to include void spots 108 in the form of an absence of inkon the transparent front surface 144. In a third step 166, the image 127is printed directly onto the white ink layer 164. Third step 166 caninclude the sequential application of layers of cyan 167 a, magenta 167b, yellow 167 c and black ink 167 d as per conventional four colorprinting processes. During third step 166, the application of thevarious inks should include void spots 108 that are in alignment andconform with the void spots 108 printed during printing of the white inklayer 164 during second step 162 such that visibility is impartedthrough the image 127. In a fourth step 168, the printed image 102 isremoved from the singly ply plastic sheet 140 by cutting along theperimeter 106. In a fifth step 170, the mounting means 110 can beattached to the printed image 102 so as to complete the facial mask 100.

Referring to FIG. 12, another alternative method of fabricating facialmask 100 with single ply plastic sheet 140 can comprise a first step 180of selecting a image 127 to be printed. Image 127 can include thevarious attributes as previously described with reference to thealternative embodiments. In a second step 182, white ink layer 164 canbe printed on the transparent front surface 144. White ink layer 164 isprinted so as to be continuous on the transparent front surface 144 andto not include any void spots 108. In a third step 184, the image 127 isprinted directly onto the white ink layer 164. Third step 184 caninclude the sequential application of cyan, magenta, yellow and blackink as per conventional four color printing processes. During third step184, the application of the various inks is continuous on the white inklayer 164 and does not include the formation of any void spots. In afourth step 186, void spots 108 are formed in the printed image 102 byperforating the single ply plastic sheet 140. In a fifth step 188, theprinted image 102 is removed from the singly ply plastic sheet 140 bycutting along the perimeter 106. In a sixth step 190, the mounting means110 can be attached to the printed image 102 so as to complete thefacial mask 100.

Referring to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15, another alternative method offabricating facial mask 100 can utilize a two ply sheet 200 of windowperforated vinyl. Two ply sheet 200 can comprise a pressure sensitiveadhesive printable substrate 202 and a release liner 204 that serves toprotect the pressure sensitive adhesive printable substrate 202. Onceagain, a first step 206 can comprise selecting the image 127 to beprinted. Image 127 can include the various attributes as described withreference to the alternate embodiments. In a second step 208, the image127 is printed directly onto the pressure sensitive adhesive printablesubstrate 202. In a third step 210, the pressure sensitive adhesiveprintable substrate 202 and release liner 204 are separated. In a fourthstep 212, a clear substrate 214 is adhered to the pressure sensitiveadhesive printable substrate 202. In a fifth step 216, the printed image102 is removed from the combined pressure sensitive adhesive printablesubstrate 202/clear substrate 214 by cutting along the perimeter 106. Ina sixth step 218, the mounting means 110 can be attached to the printedimage 102 so as to complete the facial mask 100.

As described throughout the prior methods, the step of printing theimage 127 can utilize any variety of suitable printing means and systemsincluding, for example, Four Color Process or CMYK(Cyan/Magenta/Yellow/Black), RGB Process (Red/Green/Blue) and otherexisting technologies including, but not limited to, silk screen,gavure, offset, digital printing, and flexography.

Referring to FIGS. 16 and 17, an alternative embodiment of a facial mask220 can utilize the aforementioned mentioned methods of fabrication withindividual portions of the mask as opposed to the entire mask. Forinstance, facial mask 220 can comprise a mask body 222 that isfabricated with conventional fabrication techniques but which furtherinclude individual sections or portions that make use of the void spaces108 as previously discussed. For instance, mask body 222 can include oneor more eye portions 224 that are formed separately from the mask body222 using any of the previously discussed methods. Eye portions 224 canprovide an additional element of realism and enhance the recognition ofthe facial mask 220 by having observers view an image of the masksubject's actual eyes while providing the advantage of enhancedvisibility to the wearer. As seen in FIG. 16, eye portion 224 canencompass both eyes or can include two eye portions 224, one for eacheye, as shown in FIG. 17. In a similar fashion, a facial accessory 230,such as, for example, glasses 232 as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 caninclude a viewing portion 234 or lens area that displays an eyeballimage 236 for purposes of enhancing a costume or look of the wearer. Forexample, eyeball image 236 can include effects such as differentcoloring, bloodshot appearance, differing shapes and the like thatcompliment a desired appearance of the wearer. At the same time, thewearer maintains their visibility through the void spaces 108 that arepresent in the eye portion 224 but are not noticeable to an observer.

Referring to FIGS. 20 and 21, another alternative embodiment of a facialmask 240 can comprise facial mask 100 with the further inclusion of maskfeatures 242 such as, for example, hair 244. The use of mask features242 can further enhance the appearance and realism of facial mask 240 byproviding an instantly recognizable, printed image 102 on a frontportion 246 of the facial mask 240 while the coloring, style andappearance of hair 244 further enhances the appearance from theperspective of observers on the sides and rear of the wearer. In someembodiments, facial mask 240 can comprise one or more score lines 248such that facial mask 240 can be intentionally bent such as around thesides or top of a wearer's head so as to further enhance the visualappearance of the facial mask 240 to observers.

In order to improve the appearance of the various masks as describedherein, image 127 can be manipulated prior to the various printingsteps. For instance, image 127 can be stretched or otherwise manipulatedfor the purpose of creating a parody image or adding features that makeimage 127 frightening in appearance. With respect to image 127 depictinga parody image, the images can be stretched or shrunk vertically and/orhorizontally. With respect to image 127 being more frightening inappearance, image 127 can be manipulated to change eye colors, addfeatures such as scars or wounds or change skin tone to make the image127 appear less human.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and described in detail. It is understood, however, that theintention is not to limit the invention to the particular embodimentsdescribed. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

1. An enhanced visibility facial mask, comprising: a flexible sheetincluding a printed image, said flexible sheet cut so as to have aperimeter matching an exterior boundary of the printed image; a mountingmeans attached to the flexible sheet so as to allow a user to positionthe flexible sheet in front of a user's face; and a plurality of voidspaces defined on the flexible sheet such that a user has anuninterrupted view through the void spaces in the flexible sheet whilethe void spaces are sufficiently small so as to remain undetected to anobserver such that the printed image is instantly recognizable to theobserver while the user's face is fully obscured by the printed image.2. The facial mask of claim 1, wherein the plurality of void spacescomprise a plurality of individual perforations in the flexible sheet.3. The facial mask of claim 1, wherein the flexible sheet comprises atransparent sheet and wherein the plurality of void spaces areindividually defined by an absence of ink in the printed image.
 4. Thefacial mask of claim 1, wherein the plurality of void spaces occupy fromabout 30% to about 50% of the flexible sheet.
 5. The facial mask ofclaim 1, wherein each void space has a diameter of between about 1 mm toabout 2 mm.
 6. The facial mask of claim 1, wherein the flexible sheetincludes a white surface, said printed image printed directly on thewhite surface.
 7. The facial mask of claim 1, wherein the mounting meansis selected from the group comprising: a rubber band, a string and astick.
 8. The facial mask of claim 1, wherein the printed image includeseyes.
 9. A method for forming an enhanced visibility facial mask,comprising: selecting an image to be printed on a flexible sheet;printing the image on the flexible sheet such that a plurality of voidspaces are defined within a perimeter of the image; cutting along theperimeter of the image to remove a facial mask from the flexible sheet;and attaching a means for mounting to the facial mask such that a usercan position the facial mask in front of a user's face, wherein uponplacement of the facial mask in front of the user's face, the users hasan unobstructed view through the plurality of void spaces while saidvoid spaces are undetected to an observer such that the image isinstantly recognizable to the observer when the facial mask fullyobscures the user's face.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step ofprinting the image on the flexible sheet such that the plurality of voidspaces are defined within the perimeter of the image, further comprises:providing the flexible sheet so as to include a plurality ofperforations.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of printingthe image on the flexible sheet such that the plurality of void spacesare defined within the perimeter of the image, further comprises:perforating the flexible sheet so as to include a plurality ofperforations.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the flexible sheetcomprises a transparent flexible sheet and the step of printing theimage on the flexible sheet such that the plurality of void spaces aredefined with the perimeter of the image, further comprises: defining thevoid spaces as an absence of ink in the image.
 13. The method of claim9, wherein printing the image on the flexible sheet further comprises:printing the image on a white surface of the flexible sheet.
 14. Amethod for depicting an image on an enhanced visibility facial mask,comprising: printing an image on a flexible sheet, wherein a pluralityof void spaces are defined within the image; cutting the image from theflexible sheet; attaching a means for mounting to the flexible sheet todefine a facial mask; and positioning the facial mask in proximity to auser's face such that the user has uninterrupted vision through thefacial mask while the image remains instantly recognizable to anobserver.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the flexible sheetcomprises a transparent sheet and the step of printing the image furthercomprises: defining individual void spaces as an absence of ink in theimage.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising: perforating theflexible sheet to define the plurality of void spaces.
 17. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising: providing the flexible sheet withperforations so as to define the plurality of void spaces.